Lomo, the love/hate relationship

I love the Lomo community. I like their enthusiasm and spontaneity. I like that they are a part of the film community and we really need all the members we can get. I enjoy the Lomo aesthetic.

I hate getting lumped in with the Lomo community. While I do have a Holga, the vast majority of my work is taken with a “serious” camera. My goto film camera, the Bronica SQa is a whole new world compared to a Holga/Lomo camera. Accurate shutter speeds? Removable backs? Interchangeable lenses? What’s next, more than 4 apertures? 🙂 I also use a Fuji GW690 which is the whip though it’s wide lens is fixed. It’s not the best for people. The only Lomo-like camera I use on a regular basis (excepting the Hipstamatic on my iPhone) is a 1938, Pilot 6, 6×4.5 SLR. No split prism, 4 shutter speeds, it’s pretty basic and it’s the camera that the Greatwall cameras copped. The Pilot 6, while an SLR, still has a bit of a fuzzy, dreamy feel that I like to pair with cheap Chinese b&w film. Here’s another point of distinction. Most of my work is b&w and self processed and printed. Lomography seems more color oriented with lab processing.

I like the Lomographers, don’t get me wrong. I just aspire to a higher level precision and predictability than I think they do. Where I really mesh with the Lomo community is on the idea that, yeah, film looks better.